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“Hey,” Kat says, her voice soft and soothing.
She jumps up from her chair and wraps her arms around my neck, while placing a quick peck on my lips.
“Oh, you brought flowers!”shesayswhen she sees the bouquet in my hands.
“Um, yes, they’re actually for—”
“Awww, yes, of course! That’s so sweet of you. Mary, look!”
She spins around and steps aside, pointing at me as I take a step forward and present the flowers to Mrs. Warden.
She casts me a knowing smile, and shakes her head.
“Oh, young man,” she says. “You’re making me blush.”
Even with all the makeup on her face, I can tell that she is, in fact, blushing.
“Just a little to lighten up your room,” I say, and the smile on Mrs. Warden’s face widens.
“I’ll get them in some water,” Kat announces and takes the bouquet from my hands.
She rushes into the adjacent bathroom, leaving me alone with Mrs. Warden for a few moments.
“So, today?” Mrs. Warden asks in a whisper. “You promised! I can’t keep this in any longer.”
She peers over to the bathroom door, before she adds: “Besides, I would still like to be around to see her face and—”
“You will be around for quite a while, Mrs. Warden,” I interrupt. “We are going to make sure of that.”
She laughs, as she reaches for my hand, providing it with a gentle squeeze.
“I sure hope so,” she says, her voice still subdued. “You didn’t have to bribe me with flowers, you know? I already gave you my blessing, didn’t I?”
She winks at me, and now I’m the one laughing, nervously.
I clear my throat, but just as I’m about to respond, Kat darts back into the room, and I leave it at a simple nod—causing Mrs. Warden to grin broadly.
“Here we go!” Kat exclaims, as she places the flowers on the nightstand next to Mrs. Warden’s bed.
“Lovely,” Mrs. Warden comments, a benevolent smile gracing her face. “Just like the two of you. Taking such good care of me and my Johnny. How is he doing, by the way?”
Johnny, her black cat, has been living with us ever since Mrs. Warden got admitted to the hospital. He doesn’t seem to care about Kat too much, which seems to be mutual—but he has taken a liking to me. I can hardly sit down anywherewithout him jumping on my lap, asking to be petted. I’ve never had a pet of my own, so this is a new experience for me, and I can’t say I hate it. That furry little dude seems to approach me with the same impartiality and goodwill as his friendly human.
“He’s doing well,” Kat responds. “Still fawning over my boyfriend like crazy.”
Mrs. Wardens laughs. “Well, my Johnny always had a nose for good people. You found a good man in Logan.”
Kat smiles up at me. “Yeah, I think so, too.”
I’m pretty sure I’mthisclose to blushing myself. Me, a good person? Well, I try to be. I had given up on the Vanguard Society ever since that dreadful night at the gala, and was surprised when they offered me a place in their ranks, despite how that evening went. I could have become a member then, and I was also invited to become an investor of the Residence du Marché project, just like I’d hoped.
But I declined. I’dlied to them, and I knew I would have to keep up with that lieif I was to become a member of their illustrious club. How could I do that when Kat was no longer wearing her ring, when we would havehad to keepup the charade that brought us together in the first place? I didn’t want that. I wanted to do things right with Kat—and that was more important than any investment opportunity or green-washing my name through illicit methods. Kat’s ring is gone, and so is our lie. I placed it on her finger under false pretenses.
Today, however, is not going to be like that.
I clear my voice, and Mrs. Warden and I exchange a look. She reads my face perfectly, turning to Kat, as I take a step back, away from the bed.
“It’s so nice of you two to visit me so often,” she says, addressing Kat to distract her for a moment. “And so wonderful to see you this happy, too, Katherine. You’re doing so well, aren’t you?”
